Table Mtn (Dick Thomas TH & trail) PERMANENTLY CLOSED

[miah66]

I'm kind of surprised that Friends of the Gorge hasn't taken notice of this, to be honest. Perhaps it is as cut and dry as being locked out of access to public land (I have a feeling this is going to be a theme going forward).

[Webfoot]

I don't think we should give up that easily. Quoting an earlier forum thread on the situation:

I'm sure there's precedent for some sort of squatter's-right to keep on using pathways that have "always" been allowed before.

Yes, it's called "implied easement". In Washington State, RCW 36.75.080 says that when a road (outside a city) is used by the public for ten years, it becomes a county road. I first passed over that road in 2004.

Nice! Thanks for the info. I've been using that road for years also - since 1985. If that's not precedent, I don't know what is.

dn

If we don't defend this implied easement we will probably lose it permanently.

[BigBear]

The larger easement question is what happened to the decades-long access to this area when you could drive to the lookout. I hiked to Aldrich Butte years ago with Dick Thomas when he and another long-timer talked about driving up to the former lookout site to watch the sunset.

There had been a hiking easement for many years across the public land from the slough, but a neighbor with a shotgun had threatened several groups which is what facilitated the move to the site of the Bonneville Hot Springs. Interestingly, this "closed" trail pre-dates the hot spring hotel.

Unless you have the money to go to court (like the Mazamas did in the 1990s re. the Bonanza Trail), those with money will bully people off private as well as public land.

[Don Nelsen]

The larger easement question is what happened to the decades-long access to this area when you could drive to the lookout. I hiked to Aldrich Butte years ago with Dick Thomas when he and another long-timer talked about driving up to the former lookout site to watch the sunset.

There had been a hiking easement for many years across the public land from the slough, but a neighbor with a shotgun had threatened several groups which is what facilitated the move to the site of the Bonneville Hot Springs. Interestingly, this "closed" trail pre-dates the hot spring hotel.

Unless you have the money to go to court (like the Mazamas did in the 1990s re. the Bonanza Trail), those with money will bully people off private as well as public land.

I've driven up there as recently as 10 years ago and also often to the Butte Cut-Off TH on the SSW side of Aldrich when I was worried about getting car-clouted at the TH under the power lines. Once lots more folks started using that TH, I felt safer with all the comings and goings so stopped worrying about it. I've seen tire tracks in the mud along Carpenter Lake in the past couple of years so some are evidently still driving up there.

Another note: At the slough TH gate there was once a "no trespassing" sign. It's been gone for at least 15 years though.

dn

[Webfoot]

Any news on this?